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McDougall Energy gets national praise

McDougall Energy Inc., one of the largest integrated distributors of Esso and Mobile prod-u cts in Canada, is ranked among Canada's 50 best-managed companies for 2011.

The national awards program, sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, the National Post and Queen's School of Business, recognizes companies that have implemented world-class business practices and created value in innovative ways.

The third-generation family business -- which was established in Thessalon in 1949, arrived in Sault Ste. Marie nearly 40 years later, in 1987, then expanded throughout Ontario and into British Columbia -- will be honoured at the program's annual gala, March 28, in Toronto.

The diversified company, with Darren McDougall as president for over a decade, is a marketer and distributor of heating oil, propane, diesel fuel, commercial lubricants and gasoline.

It was rebranded from Bryan McDougall Fuels Ltd. to McDougall Energy in 2008, the same year it entered the Toronto market.

"While best-managed companies recognize uncertainty on the economic horizon their focus has been squarely on growing their businesses and identifying new income streams," said John Hughes, Deloitte program partner, in a release.

"They grew through targeted spending in the form of acquisitions, enhancing their infrastructure and on product and service innovation."

Being among the 50 best is a mark of excellence for Canadian-owned and managed companies with annual revenues exceeding $10 million.

Program participants have their management skills and practices put under extensive review and evaluation by a judging panel.

The panel addresses areas like new technologies, globalization, brand management, leadership, the leveraging and developing of core competencies, designing information systems and hiring the right talent to facilitate growth.

McDougall's strong corporate plan, say program hosts in a release, has created the proper culture, strategy and core processes that result in a unique and robust business model.

The model, they continue, delivers great value to its diversified customer bases in three distinct markets.

The business market has McDougall selling commercial fuels, lubricants and propane to industrial and commercial businesses, while its auto market is selling to retail gas stations, primarily under the Esso brand.

Its third market, the home market, has the company selling heating oil and propane along with equipment sales and maintenance.

"We are honoured to be considered among the 50 best-managed companies," said Darren McDougall, president.

The 200-employee organization has opened four southern Ontario offices in recent months, in Newmarket, Bowmanville, St. Catharines and St. George, serving Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph, all former Imperial Oil agency businesses.

It expects to open more offices in a couple weeks, in Sudbury and North Bay, when transactions close.

"It has been a wild few years in terms of acquisitons," said McDougall.

It entered the Toronto market as a heating-oil service provider in the spring of 2008 with an office and warehouse in Mississauga, and in the summer of 2009 introduced fuels, lubricants and specialty items to the region.